This book was hard to get through, I'm not sure why. Partly, I think, because the story is told from so many perspectives (I think some people like thThis book was hard to get through, I'm not sure why. Partly, I think, because the story is told from so many perspectives (I think some people like that, though) and partly because it just had a really strange atmosphere. It reminded me a little of Robin McKinley's Damar stories, with an added element of . . . ridiculousness? weirdness? threat? Not sure. What I liked most about it was that, even though it was a fantasy book, the characters all seemed completely unique and themselves. Beagle is good at creating his own worlds, which is maybe one reason I find him jarring. It was a good book, though, I liked it, I'm glad I read it. It sticks in my head, which is a quality in a book that I think really makes it worthwhile. (Although, to be fair, I will say that it didn't stick in my head well enough the first time I started it, which was about seven years ago, because I read the whole first quarter of the book with an alarming sense of deja-vu and gradually remembered checking it out of the library in Omaha before I went to college.)...more

When I hear Robin McKinley had a new book out (and I heard after it came out--crazy!) I was kind of apprehensive. I couldn't get into her last one, DrWhen I hear Robin McKinley had a new book out (and I heard after it came out--crazy!) I was kind of apprehensive. I couldn't get into her last one, Dragonhaven, and when you're favorite author writes a book you can't get into it's kind of . . . disconcerting. But I ordered it because I love McKinley and I was really glad she was going back to the fairytale-esque setting for this one (although I loved Sunshine and that's not exactly a fairytale). I just finished it this afternoon and I liked it. The tone is kind of like Spindle's End. It's not a change your life kind of good like Beauty or The Hero and the Crown, but it's a nice, cozy Sunday afternoon kind of good. You can read it in an afternoon and it's just the right length for the story it tells (unlike Spindle's End, which was good but seemed longer than the story it told). I'm not going to summarize, because it sounds too complicated for how it actually is. McKinley could have written a much more complicated story set in this universe, and maybe one day she will. But this is a simple story about a beekeeper and a Fire priest who both are put into positions they aren't prepared for and have to save their land. My advice: get some honey before you read it because it will really make you want honey (in the same way Sunshine makes you want baked goods)....more

This is billed as a "companion novel to Wildwood Dancing." Wildwood Dancing is about five sisters, but focuses on the second, Jena, this book is aboutThis is billed as a "companion novel to Wildwood Dancing." Wildwood Dancing is about five sisters, but focuses on the second, Jena, this book is about a younger sister, Paula. She's the scholar sister. In Wildwood Dancing (which I believe I compared to Pride and Predjudice) she plays a Mary Bennet character. Even though she maintains her scholarly-ness in this novel she becomes a more in depth (read: romantic) character. Unlike Wildwood Dancing, this novel isn't based on a fairy tale. I really enjoyed this though, for it's glimpse of Ottoman culture and it's general plotline. It's a really pretty novel. A majority of it takes place in Istanbul. It's a Indiana Jones-esque romp around Istanbul and the Black Sea in search of an ancient artifact. With pirates. And eunuchs. Good fun....more

I've had this sitting on my shelf for years, but sometimes it takes me awhile to get into McKillip books. I love them, though, because they seem so drI've had this sitting on my shelf for years, but sometimes it takes me awhile to get into McKillip books. I love them, though, because they seem so dreamy. I'm not sure what it is, it's not like her characters have no emotion or that they're two dimensional. Maybe they're just two dimensional in that nice dream-fairytale kind of way. Not sure. But all of McKillip's books seem so beautiful in retrospect, even though I can hardly remember what they were about, I remember bits, like a dream. Bits from this book: a firebird floating through a forest, a castle at the top of a waterfall, bees buzzing in golden hair, a monster coming out of a book . . . it was good....more

This was beautiful. Not a retelling of Tam Lin at all, but totally its own thing. It's about a girl from New York who moves to a farm in Dorset when hThis was beautiful. Not a retelling of Tam Lin at all, but totally its own thing. It's about a girl from New York who moves to a farm in Dorset when her mom gets remarried and it's about old houses and old lands and the kinds of ghosties and ghoulies that live there and also the history of the place, I learned a lot about the Monmouth Rebellion. Beagle totally captures the feeling of being in an old land full of old things--lots of Dorset folklore here--and his writing is so beautiful. ...more

I read the first three Sevenwaters books awhile ago. The first two I liked a lot, Child of the Prophecy was awful. Since then Marillier has come out wI read the first three Sevenwaters books awhile ago. The first two I liked a lot, Child of the Prophecy was awful. Since then Marillier has come out with her two young adult books, Wildwood Dancing and Cybele's Gift, which in my mind seem to have a completely different tone than the more somber Sevenwaters books. They're more playful and more like puzzles, you want to figure them out before you get to the end, kind of thing, or if you're like me you want to get to the end so you can figure them out. But anyway, all that to say, this was much more like the Wildwood Dancing books than like the Sevenwaters books, although it really ties them together in my mind now.

I really liked this one. It has everything, true love, stolen babies, fairy princes, fighting, magic, little people made out of sticks and stones, yay! Think Labyrinth, but completely different and no David Bowie, although I guess you could picture David Bowie if you wanted to, no one's going to stop you....more

Okay, I put this down as "girls who do things" but it's a romance novel so it's kind of "girls who try to do things, but then call in tall, dark, andOkay, I put this down as "girls who do things" but it's a romance novel so it's kind of "girls who try to do things, but then call in tall, dark, and handsome men to do things" but it's cool because the "things" are like stop witch hunters who are attacking the special island of "wise women." And Catherine de Medici is the evil witch queen and the good witches have to stop her and the guy gives the girl a magic ring that when they are making out makes them feel like they are having sex IN THEIR HEADS!! How wacked out is that?!?!??? Yes you can put your name on the list of people who want to borrow this book from me!...more

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for about five years. Last week I was despairing about having nothing to read on my plane trip to Nebraska so II've had this book sitting on my shelf for about five years. Last week I was despairing about having nothing to read on my plane trip to Nebraska so I threw this one into my bag with the five books I'd checked out of the library. I loved it! It's about magic and wizards in regency England. The two main characters are so excited about magic and mystery and new clothes. And so exasperated by their elderly female relations. And so affronted by the male characters they have to deal with (the odious marquis!). It's just delightful! Plus it's called Sorcery and Cecelia, how could it not be awesome! I just can't believe it took my so long to read it! Now I have to go get the sequel....more

This reminded me a lot of Frank Peretti's Cooper Kids books. It's about two American teenagers, children of archaeologists, who get swept up in an ancThis reminded me a lot of Frank Peretti's Cooper Kids books. It's about two American teenagers, children of archaeologists, who get swept up in an ancient quest/mystery/feud thing. I loved the Cooper Kids books when I was little (I read The Door in the Dragon's Throat four times, in a row), but the general plot line is rather unappealing to me now. Besides, Peretti actually knows how to write so it feels like there's a reason to keep reading, so it feels mysterious and exciting. Scott's book was like a bunch of lists and some encyclopedic info on the characters (Nicolas Flamel, John Dee, various gods and goddesses, etc.). One of the characters, annoyingly, keeps Googling various characters as they meet them, as if the author just wants to say ("see, see how accurate I'm being, you can follow along at home on Google!"). To make things worse, the omniscient narrator gets into each of the character's heads in turn and you get to hear everyone's biography together with all of their unexpressed angst. I never thought a book about mythology and legend coming to life in 21st century America could be so freaking boring! It's like American Gods written for kids, with all the life sucked out of it....more

It's even better the second time! I didn't feel like any part got too long, even the camping part was like non-stop action and angst. One thing I likeIt's even better the second time! I didn't feel like any part got too long, even the camping part was like non-stop action and angst. One thing I like about the Harry Potter books is how much Rowling puts in about what Harry is thinking. It's something the movies can't show, but it's such a big part of the books! All the agonizing over Horcruxes and Hallows and Dumbledore! And I like how the characters always discuss the mysteries and try to figure them out. I like to read about their reasoning. I like how much time the books spend on those parts, and how they're always looking things up or remembering a tidbit of information that they found earlier in the book that seemed completely inconsequential (like Nicholas Flamel on the chocolate frog card in book one!). It's a thinking action book. And it all gets resolved, delightfully. And by "delighfully" I mean in a way that makes you feel warm and complete and like you know all the characters better and they're even cooler than you thought when you first got to know them.

Another thing I love about the books is that the characters are actually really funny. I've read so few books like that. There are books where the books are funny and the characters are funny because of that, but these are books where, even when everything gets dark one of the characters will pop out with a hilarious one-liner. Humor at the most inappropriate moments. It's awesome....more

For a book that's like Harry Potter means Narnia this was damn depressing. It*possible spoiler alert (I don't know, I haven't written the review yet)*

For a book that's like Harry Potter means Narnia this was damn depressing. It was good, I liked it, but man, did it have to be that hard? And I guess the answer is 'yes.' The author's guiding hypothetical question (which is very prominent through the whole book) is "what if it was all real, everything we read in books, what if it was all real and it was all just as horrible as real life?"

But please, don't let that stop you from reading it. For such a depressing book it's also really enjoyable. All the twists and turns, the very premise--kids who go to a magic school and later find out that their favorite children's fantasy series is real!--it's too good not to read! And there's like five surprise twists! Which I can't talk about. It will make you dizzy. And yes, there are rabbits, large, furry, exceptionally adorable ones who sail a ship on sand....more

This was a collection of five stories--three by Peter Dickinson, two by Robin McKinley. I mainly like the McKinley stories, but she and Dickinson areThis was a collection of five stories--three by Peter Dickinson, two by Robin McKinley. I mainly like the McKinley stories, but she and Dickinson are working through the elements together (they've already done water) and I try to read the Dickinson stories, too, to be polite and all. Robin McKinley's two stories were "Hellhound" and "First Flight."

"Hellhound"I liked this one because it was very homey, but just a little creepy so that reading it in a dark house at night was kind of fun and kind of scary. It had a lot of the same feel as Sunshine--a heroine who knows what she wants to do and is good at it, a cozy, supportive family, the Supernatural. It was a little too short, but the best stories are.

"First Flight"This one had a male protagonist and was about dragon-riding, which are two strikes against it from the start. It was also really long and had an extremely self-deprecating hero. It just didn't have many elements that really caught my imagination. I liked it because it had the McKinley feel, but it took me a long time to get through it....more

If there hadn't been fairy princes involved I probably wouldn't have read it. I like the idea of urban fantasy, but it has this fascination with the gIf there hadn't been fairy princes involved I probably wouldn't have read it. I like the idea of urban fantasy, but it has this fascination with the grotesque that just isn't my style. I think it's interesting, but there's got to be something more than that to keep my attention. Fairy princes work.

It's about a girl who doesn't have much of a family. She has fairy (sorry, "faerie") friends and some human friends, but she's very detached from things. I thought it was going to be a retelling of Tam Lin from the title, as the main idea of Tam Lin is the tithe to hell that's given every seven years in human blood. The tithe is there, but this is very different. ...more

The premise of this book is that the ancient Nephilim (who we're all familiar with from their previous appearances in books like Many Waters and The BThe premise of this book is that the ancient Nephilim (who we're all familiar with from their previous appearances in books like Many Waters and The Bible) are a demon-hunting group who come from a country called Idris, somewhere in Europe, but spend a lot of time in New York City, where this book is set. It's really a jolly book--witty dialogue, teenage love, werewolves, gay wizards, evil bad guys who turn out to be fathers. What's not to love! Of course it's insanely predictable, but I think our Western obsession with surprise is a little silly.

My main problem with the book is that the author destroys her credibility through this reference:

"I'd always hoped that when I finally said 'I love you' to a girl, she'd say 'I know' back, like Leia did to Han in Return of the Jedi."

So first of all, kind of stiff phrasing. Second, Return of the Jedi??!?!?!! See, credibility DESTROYED!...more

The main thing that held me back from getting into this book was that the protagonist wasn't really human, or at least, her humanity was fuzzy. She/ItThe main thing that held me back from getting into this book was that the protagonist wasn't really human, or at least, her humanity was fuzzy. She/It is introduced as this mystical force called the "Shifter" (ooooo) that has only one purpose--to protect the king (boring...). So the king goes to the Mistwood and gets the Shifter and brings her back to the castle and then she's all like "I'm not sure what I am or what I'm supposed to do, but I can't tell the king that because he thinks I'm the best weapon ever." Anyway, so mystical force that doesn't know what to do--should have been intriguing, but none of the characters was really compelling enough to make it work for me. The book was only 300 pages so I plowed through the first hundred or so until I was caught up in the story enough to make it fun to read. It was an experience a lot like Graceling--female killing machine, vaguely interesting characters, good plot, but not much to flesh it out....more

I loved this book because it took the elements of urban fantasy, the dirty, grimy city, the seedy characters, the horrible scenes of degradation, allI loved this book because it took the elements of urban fantasy, the dirty, grimy city, the seedy characters, the horrible scenes of degradation, all that stuff, and it talks about how these can't be the focus. It's like uplifting urban fantasy. It kept talking about hope and redemption and really talking about them, in a way that actually made you feel hopeful and re...demptive. It was like Madeleine L'Engle meets Neil Gaiman... you know, I didn't think about it at the time, but it really is.

Another thing I really loved about it was that it was about a community. The core of the community is these three women, Jilly, Sophie, and Wendy--the three "small, fierce women." Jilly is the main character, the onion girl. She gets hit by a car at the beginning, but still, it's such a hopeful book, and a lot of that is because of the community supporting Jilly, how much they all love her and want to help her.

So besides all the real world stuff, there's also this other world, kind of a dream/fairy world. I really loved that part too, because the way it's explained is as this place we all go sometimes, in dreams, so we can all identify with it and there's a part of us that belongs there. It's so much more familiar than an impersonal "fairyland," and it really captures that feeling of finding out that something like fairyland is real, because you kind of feel like you should have known all along. I don't know, I can't explain it very well, but the way the book lays out it's world just makes so much sense to me....more

I would give this book 3 and a half stars, but the thing won't let me. The first book in this series, I was kind of skepticalprob. spoiler alert, btw.

I would give this book 3 and a half stars, but the thing won't let me. The first book in this series, I was kind of skeptical about. I mean, there are a few patches of awkward dialogue and some completely wrong movie references, but by this book I was really beginning to enjoy the dialogue and the characters and the story. It's very drama-oriented "oh, she's dating this guy, now he's her brother, now she's dating this guy, now he's a vampire, etc." But it's all in good fun, like the OC. And amongst all the drama, they're having fun and witty conversations about the interaction between humans and werewolves and vampires and Shadowhunters (the Nephilim). To make it all even more fun (or sad), the Jewish boy gets turned into a vampire and he can't be kosher anymore! Oh, and also there's a bad guy....more

Another jolly book. Really, although slightly comparable to the Twilight series, these books are much more fun. Even though there's the main girl who'Another jolly book. Really, although slightly comparable to the Twilight series, these books are much more fun. Even though there's the main girl who's so in love with the dangerous and somewhat self-destructive, beautiful boy, this girl actually thinks for herself. She has her own talents and interests. Plus, the books aren't all about their undying love for each other. These are much more about a group of friends who are like family. And also about kicking demon ass....more

So good! I almost gave it five stars. I love the way Rothfuss writes. This is such a good story with such amazing details. I am all about this world.So good! I almost gave it five stars. I love the way Rothfuss writes. This is such a good story with such amazing details. I am all about this world. Kvoth, the gypsy street urchin scholar warrior, is also pretty great. I like that the book is all about how great he is at everything while still keeping him human and very fallible. I also like all the women in this book. Such great female characters. Even Denna. I don't love her, but she's very realistic. ...more

I was excited that Clare decided to write a book about Simon. The Jewish vampire boy idea is pretty intriguing. This really didn't work out so well, tI was excited that Clare decided to write a book about Simon. The Jewish vampire boy idea is pretty intriguing. This really didn't work out so well, though. The Mark of Cain that Clary puts on Simon in City of Glass just makes him really whiny and morose. Clary and Jace are equally whiny (maybe it's something in the water). And what was with the Simon dating two girls at one time thing? The new characters introduced were fairly flat, nothing exciting is going on with the world here. It feels like the opener to a second season and just leaves me thinking that the first season was so much better.

(I still gave it three stars, though, because it was pretty fun.)...more

Yes, I gave this five stars. I haven't finished anything since I read this because nothing's as good. I think I'm just going to have to read The MagicYes, I gave this five stars. I haven't finished anything since I read this because nothing's as good. I think I'm just going to have to read The Magicians again so I can re-read this one.

I love the way Grossman expands on the world he created in The Magicians. I wasn't sure how it would work once he left behind the quasi-Harry Potter world of Brakebills. The end of The Magicians was good, but I wasn't sure what else could be done with Fillory. This book takes everything to another level. It juxtaposes two storylines--one about Quentin trying to fill the role of Magician King, and the other about Julia and what happened to her before she met up with Eliot and Janet at the end of the last book.

Julia's story deals with her academic failure that follows her rejection from Brakebills and her obsession with learning more about magic and magical theory. It starts with the big paradigm shift--Magic is Real and then shows how someone might respond. Julia is an intellectual so she comes at this from an intellectual direction--researching, but her obsession makes her an addict. Really, thinking about it now she reminds me a lot of Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Grossman, though, unlike Whedon, treats magic more as a technology than as a moral force. Even so, things get really dark and the characters are all forced to admit that even when they can control magic they're dealing with forces they don't understand. The comparison with science is made more clear in Julia's story, but even here we're not encouraged to think of magic as something more normal, but to think of science as something more wild. Grossman is using all of these weirder discoveries of the past decades as a way to illustrate that maybe science is just another kind of magic. I was really fascinated by the way he brings religion into this, religion as the biggest magic. And then he allows the world to kind of question itself. Does magic have a morality? When the characters start praying are they just doing experiments or is it more than that?...more

I loved this. Laini Taylor comes up with such compelling magical worlds. The whole idea here of the Chimera and the Seraphim is a really interesting jI loved this. Laini Taylor comes up with such compelling magical worlds. The whole idea here of the Chimera and the Seraphim is a really interesting juxtaposition. So many possibilities. Can't wait to read the next one....more

Uuugghhh. I'm sorry I didn't like this book. I wish I didn't want to punch Harry Dresden in the face. Giving it two stars because I feel like I must hUuugghhh. I'm sorry I didn't like this book. I wish I didn't want to punch Harry Dresden in the face. Giving it two stars because I feel like I must have missed something (otherwise it would be one)....more

Really loved the world-building here. I know, I'm doing my confusing thing where I only gave it three stars, but I do think its a good book. I just diReally loved the world-building here. I know, I'm doing my confusing thing where I only gave it three stars, but I do think its a good book. I just didn't like it as much as Coraline or American Gods, which are solid four-stars for me. But I love Door. I wish she'd been the viewpoint character more. And I loved the delightful ambiguity of the characters--are they good or bad, and by the end you're like "what does that even mean?" I liked how Richard's character developed over the novel, although I felt like it was kind of cliche how it was like "and now he's much more confident because he did all these hard things in London Below." The story is kind of like a fairy tale so the simpler development works in that way...I could also be missing something. I wanted the story to be more about the politics of London Below and uniting the factions that Door's father talked about....more

Also amazing! Even better than the first one! I am so intrigued by this whole world. I love how inventive Rothfuss is with ideas of language. And howAlso amazing! Even better than the first one! I am so intrigued by this whole world. I love how inventive Rothfuss is with ideas of language. And how self-conscious his characters. "Hmm, I just had an excursion into the realm of fairy. Let me consult my previous knowledge of how this affects people and compare my personal experience." Also, more kick-ass ladies. ...more